We all know that your audience is more likely to interact with you on your social media platforms if the content you’re posting is visually pleasing, and now, more than ever, we’re seeing more people engaging with video content. But is this something that you find daunting? You’re not alone!
We’ve pulled together some hints, tips and tools to help make creating and posting video content on your social media channels easier to handle and stress-free.
Keep it short and sweet!
It’s important to keep your videos bite-sized and easy to consume, while still providing value. Your audience isn’t likely to engage with your content if it lasts for hours! Videos should capture attention, share a message and get viewers to act and engage in a short space of time.
1 minute or less is the ideal length, because research shows that the average audience member won’t stay focussed much longer than this, unless it’s a tutorial or ‘how-to’ style video.
If you’ve got a longer message to share, consider break it down in to smaller clips – you’ll see a better level of engagement from your audience!
Posting videos with talking? Make sure you include subtitles.
Your video content has the potential to reach audiences from all over the world, so the chances are that some viewers may not be fluent in the language you’re speaking. Make your videos accessible to a wider audience by adding subtitles
Similarly, videos shared on almost all social media platforms now automatically start or play without sound. Including subtitles will help get your message across, whether it’s on mute or not.
A little tool we use here at Social Progress to help us with your video subtitles is Subly, which auto-transcribes videos, allowing you to quickly overlay the subtitles. Alternatively, if you’re creating an Instagram story or reel, there’s the option to auto-add subtitles to the content you’re posting.
Aim for natural lighting
Lighting can make or break your video, but using natural light will help your video become a success!
When you’re indoors aim to shoot near a window or door, and avoid gloomy corners. Alternatively, don’t be afraid of spending time filming in the great outdoors!
Planning makes perfect
It pays to have a rough idea of what you want your final video to look like. In order to do this, you may want to think about what you want to achieve by creating and posting your video, to help give a clearer idea of what clips you want to include, as well as the messages you want to portray.
The other element to consider when planning your video is whether you want to stick to a rough script. Is there a message you need to get across? Are there multiple people on screen that may need co-ordinating? It all needs taking in to account, but we recommend spending time learning your “lines” so the delivery comes across as natural, and not forced.
Experiment!
There’s nothing to be afraid of, just go out there and have fun – it’s the best way to learn what’s right for you! And there’s loads of tools to help you achieve a finished video, so just experiment and have a play. Here’s a few that we love:
Instagram Reels – create fun, entertaining, multi-clip videos that are up to 60 seconds long, with the ability to overlay music, text, graphics and filters before posting.
Tik-Tok – get inspired by other Tik-Tok users, and post your own adapted videos following the latest trends and viral video content.
AZ Screen Recorder – Want to record your phone screen to show your audience how to do something? This screen recorder tool records everything happening on your mobile screen. Just set to record and you’re good to go!
Nano Teleprompter – Having trouble learning your lines? This handy little app will show your script on screen while you record. It’s simple and easy to use, and we love it!
Hyperlapse – Speed up your video content to show quick progression of a project or tutorial over time. All you have to do is set up your camera to record and the hyperlapse app does the rest!
We’re always up for learning more and developing our skills, so if you have your own video hints and tips to make creating video for social media easier, let us know!